D1 Oils expands jatropha plantations to 257,000 hecares; aims for 1,000,000 as oil deliveries commence

In England, D1 Oils reported that it has 257,370  hectares of jatropha under cultivation in India, Southeast Asia and Africa under its joint venture with BP.

D1-BP Fuel Crops said that it has now commenced its first shipments of jatropha oil, delivering 2,000 tonnes recently from its plantations. The company, which cultivates jatropha under co-operative arrangements with local farmers, providing seed and buying crop, said that it aimed to expand to 300,000 hecaters this year and to 1,000,000 hectares in the longer term.

The company, which raised $28 million earlier this year to absorb losses from operations this year, recorded a loss of $25 million in the first half as two biodiesel plants in the UK were wound down. The company says it has sufficient cash to fund operations through the first half of 2009.

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